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PlayStation Vita gets a content management app, plays nice with PS3 and PC
Worried your PlayStation Vita is going to be so full of repurchased PSP content that you won't be be able to store it all? Yeah, neither are we -- but if you want another place to keep your Vita's picture, video, music and game content, Sony says your PC and PS3 will do nicely. An application page on the Japanese PlayStation website details a Vita app that lets users transfer data between the three platforms, noting that content can be purchased on the PC or PS3, and then transferred to the Vita for use later. Gamers looking to save scratch on that not-so-optional memory card will be able to use this content sharing feature to get the most out of whatever size storage they can afford. Sure, 4GB of storage the cheapest Vita memory card offers isn't ideal, but at least Sony is throwing you a bone to make it work.
Sony PlayStation Vita battery life: as little as three hours on a charge
We've had plenty of QT with the Vita on the floor at TGS, but battery life is hard to judge when you can't take the device away with you. Back at our earlier hands-on in June we were told that longevity should be on a par with first-gen PSPs, which were all rated at 4-6 hours and -- with the PSP-1000 -- achieved around 3.5-5.5 hours in real-world tests. Now though, Sony says the Vita has just enough juice for 3-5 hours' gaming. We need to play this thing to death before we can be sure, but this does sound like a potential 15-25% drop in minimum play time. Do we care at this point? Not particularly. We're too busy salivating over this.
Sony PlayStation Vita's removable memory looks like it's an SD card, but it isn't
Sony's seen fit to tell us many of the PlayStation Vita's specs, how much it'll cost ($249 for WiFi, $299 for 3G), and who gets it (everyone). Amidst all the hullabaloo at E3 2011, however, we missed seeing that Sony was showing off the new handheld's internal memory cards. Good thing an eagle-eyed member of the public snapped a pic of the 4, 8, 16, and 32GB cards on the show floor. They look awfully similar to garden variety SD cards, only there's a little notch in the side confirming they hew to Sony's unfortunate habit of using proprietary storage formats. The cost of the cards remains shrouded in secrecy, but life's more fun when a little mystery's involved, right?
Live from Sony's E3 2011 keynote!
The world hasn't been kind to Sony as of late, but today is Sony's day to shine -- we're reporting live from E3 2011 this evening, where the company is about to show off its latest toys. There's little doubt we'll hear about that fancy new Next Generation Portable, but what might it be called? And might there be a pair of PlayStation-certified tablets alongside the monster handheld? How about a library full of PSOne titles to make the Xperia Play relevant, or a price drop for Sony's venerable PlayStation 3 console? Find out for yourself right here, in this very post, when our live coverage kicks off at the times below. 2:00PM - Hawaii 5:00PM - Pacific 6:00PM - Mountain 7:00PM - Central 8:00PM - Eastern 1:00AM - London (June 7th) 2:00AM - Paris (June 7th) 4:00AM - Moscow (June 7th) 9:00AM - Tokyo (June 7th)
Sony: every NGP game will be available to download, some might not even make it to physical release
We're filling the time between now and the NGP's holiday season release the best way we know how: by hunting down yet more information about it. Andrew House, the man in charge of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe, has delivered the latest tidbit in an interview with MCV, where he states unequivocally that every game on the next PlayStation Portable will be available to buy as a download. Notably, he also expresses Sony's desire to have simultaneous distribution in both digital and physical channels, but that sounds a lot less concrete than his promise that every game will be downloadable. Digital-only games also figure prominently in Andrew's vision of the NGP's future, as he expects them to diversify choice for consumers alongside the big time titles like Uncharted. To learn more about Sony's replacement of UMDs with flash memory and the reasoning behind the PlayStation Suite, follow the source link below for the full interview.
NGP in development 'since the beginning of 2008,' first-party Suite games in the works
How long has the successor to PSP been in the works? According to Sony Worldwide Studios president Shuhei Yoshida, "since the beginning of 2008." The timing coincides with the first rumors about the device, which (correctly) predicted the system's lack of a UMD drive, touch screen and dual analog support. Yoshida also explained that Worldwide Studios had been officially involved with NGP game development since then, too, which helps explain the dearth of first-party content for the original PSP beginning in 2008. According to Wikipedia, Sony has released only 16 first-party games for the PSP in the last two years -- about the same number of games it had ready for the system's launch. While Sony is working on delivering triple-A titles for the NGP launch, Yoshida noted that first-party teams are also working on "short form games" for PlayStation Suite, Sony's upcoming cross-platform service for NGP and Android. Given the last game we recall Sony ever developing for a non-PlayStation device was Wipeout 64, that's certainly an historic move.
NGP games will come on 2GB and 4GB cards, with room for save data, patches
This slide, shown during Sony's Next Generation Portable GDC panel, shed some light on NGP's still-mysterious storage details. Unlike the experimental PSP Go, the NGP doesn't sport any internal storage. Things like save data and patches will be stored on the actual game cards themselves which, notably, will be offered in both 2GB and 4GB varieties, with 5 to 10 percent of the storage allocated to the aforementioned data. On a 2GB card, that leaves 1.8GB to 1.9GB for game data; on a 4GB card, that leaves 3.6GB to 3.8GB. That puts the NGP's game media storage size between that of the PSP's, whose UMD discs range from 900MB to 1.8GB, and the PS3's, whose Blu-ray discs hold up to 50GB, though "many PS3 games" (i.e., multiplatform titles) remain around 9GB, thanks to the Xbox 360's DVD-ROM size limitation. Of course, as pointed out in a second slide (afer the break), this leaves the NGP with far more storage per game than a "10MB phone game." But that's not all! As previously suggested, the NGP has another storage option, simply called "removable memory" in this presentation. "Cards will be large to support a variety of downloaded content," the slide says. This includes games available over PlayStation Network; and, thankfully, Sony says it's implementing a "single submission for both formats" to streamline the process of getting games approved for both card-based and downloadable releases. We're hopeful this streamlined process obviates current embarassments like the continued absence of high-profile games in the PSN catalog of PSP titles, which has crippled the appeal of Sony's PSP Go handheld.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: NGP will be 'dead on arrival,' says ngmoco boss
In all honesty, you would expect the leader of a team concerned exclusively with producing games for smartphone platforms like iOS and Android to be dismissive of a new dedicated handheld console's chances, but it's still jarring to hear such a strident dismissal of the Sony NGP's chances. In an interview at GDC this year -- yes, the same place where we were treated to some very impressive demos of the NGP's performance -- ngmoco CEO Neil Young has expressed his belief that Sony's next PSP will be "dead on arrival." Claiming that the new portable will be incapable of competing with the rich ecosystems and affordable pricing models that smartphones now offer, Young says not even the crazy specs or PS3-like gaming will help the NGP survive. This echoes comments from Satoru Iwata last year saying that Apple, not Sony, is the "enemy of the future" for handheld consoles, though Young does close off on a positive note, saying that he sees brighter prospects for the 3DS thanks to Nintendo's rich collection of own-brand franchises and reserves of fan loyalty. So that's it, folks, better start selling those Sony shares while they're still worth something! Or not, it's up to you. [Thanks, Dominick]
Sony's NGP at GDC 2011: more video of the quad-core marvel in action
The headline just about says it all -- we've got some new footage (as opposed to what we've seen before) of Sony's NGP for all you gamers to drool over. Today at GDC 2011, we saw a live demo of Uncharted, Little Deviants, and the NGP's augmented reality capabilities. We were, once again, impressed by Sony's latest piece of gaming hardware, but don't take our word for it, see for yourself in video footage above and after the break. And, oh-by-the-way, we gleaned a few new tidbits about the handheld powerhouse that developers may want to know -- retail game cartridges will be only 2GB or 4GB in size (notable because the average PS3 title is 9GB), and Sony recommends that devs looking to port PS3 titles to the NGP should simplify their models, shaders and textures to make them work. Now if only Sony would spill the beans about how much the thing'll cost. Update: We didn't completely care for how our original Uncharted footage looked, so we uploaded a slightly higher-quality version. Enjoy!
Video from Sony's NGP panel: Uncharted Portable, Little Deviants, and augmented dino-reality
In order to show developers precisely what NGP is capable of – and to break up the fifty plus slides used in the one hour presentation! – Sony shared three live demos of NGP software and we dutifully recorded them. Apologies for the poor quality of the NGP screen – the combination of the bright OLED screen being captured on video, piped to a conference center projector, and then in turn captured by our camera has resulted in some ... less than stellar video quality. But you will be able to glean the input mechanics and the style of gameplay (or in the case of the augmented reality demo, dinosaurplay). Check out videos of Little Deviants, Uncharted Portable, and augmented reality after the break. %Gallery-118245%
Ubisoft on next-gen portable dev: 3DS / PSP2 first, 'the other machines' next
After some success getting in on the ground floor with Kinect – Ubisoft was gunning to be the "top third-party publisher" – it's looking to repeat that formula with the upcoming 3DS, dropping six games for the portable's European launch. But with increasingly competent smartphones eating away at the dedicated handheld gaming market, what's Ubisoft's long-term plan for supporting the new portable landscape? While the PSP had, at one point, been a solid platform for Ubisoft – Assassin's Creed: Bloodlines has sold roughly 500,000 units, a Ubi exec noted on this afternoon's earnings call – "today it's a bit more difficult as you have the PSP at the end of its cycle," CEO Yves Guillemot said. With a stated goal to invest in "future consoles, notably the 3DS and the NGP," Ubisoft is hoping to extend the lifespan of its portable productions by focusing on two phases of release. "We are working to make sure that the games we create for the portable machines can be adapted for those platforms so that after making good revenue on 3DS or PSP2," Guillemot said, "we can go to a second phase which is going at a lower-price to the other machines." The other machines he's referring to here are the gaming smartphone platforms, typified by the iPhone and its hyper-competitive (and budget-priced!) App Store offerings. Publishers are eager to capitalize on new hardware, and the excitement that inevitably follows, but want to continue to invest in the potentially lucrative phone ecosystems. This two-phase solution might allow them to have it both ways.
Sony's Shuhei Yoshida drops some NGP knowledge: PSP sticking around, PS3 games easy to port
Details about Sony's next-gen portable Playstation, the NGP, have been scarce since we spoke with SCEA President-CEO Jack Tretton about the new device. However, in an interview in the forthcoming issue of Edge, Shuhei Yoshida --who happens to be president of SCEA Worldwide Studios -- revealed a few more tidbits about Sony's NGP strategy (alas, still no official price). Apparently, the PSP will stick around even after NGP's release because of high demand for the older handheld, not to mention a lower price. For those of you concerned about a dearth of titles upon the NGP's debut -- a la the PS3 -- fear not, as Yoshida stated that porting PS3 games was a goal from the very beginning and the process will be simple (relatively speaking, of course). Combine that with a push to make the NGP's development environment "as easy as possible," and we'll hopefully see plenty of available titles upon the device's release. Oh yeah, Yoshida-san also said that NGP is just the console's codename, and the real name will be announced later this year -- PSP2 just rolls off the tongue, now doesn't it?
NGP Killzone in development at Sony Cambridge
The next Killzone game is the first not to be developed by series creators, Guerrilla Games. Instead, Gamerzines has learned that they have passed on development to Sony's Cambridge studio. While fans of the excellent Killzone Liberation for PSP may be disappointed to hear that Guerrilla isn't working directly on the game, senior producer Steven Ter Heide told the site that "we'll still oversee it because the universe is something we've built up, we know the war and the rules that have been established, but they're driving the development." The Cambridge studio has worked on the MediEvil franchise and, most recently, LittleBigPlanet for PSP and TV Superstars for PlayStation Move.
Rumor: NGP developers encouraged to go cross-platform
An anonymous developer speaking with Eurogamer paints a rosy picture of the NGP, calling it nothing less than a "developer's dream." The dev had just just returned, cheeks still presumably flush with pleasure, from a UK Sony meeting in which the company outlined the system's future. Most concretely, Sony reportedly stated that all NGP launch games would be available both on the new format game cards and on the PlayStation Store, a feat its predecessor was never able to live up to. Slightly murkier is the anonymous developer's claim that Sony encourages titles to be developed simultaneously for the NGP and PS3. From Eurogamer:"'They want us to do cross-platform,' said the source, explaining that the submission process has been streamlined, with only a single submission required for a title on PSN and NGP. However, Sony is also insisting that it 'does not want exactly the same game' on NGP and PS3 -- there 'has to be a reason for the NGP title.' 'They want at least some kind of interactivity between the two versions with NGP-only extras.'"While it's unclear what the implications of that are -- simultaneous PS3 and NGP releases, or retail NGP games available for download on PS3? -- one thing is certain: The future of the PlayStation platform is getting more interesting by the day.
Rewatch the NGP reveal with the complete PlayStation Meeting 2011 video
Having a lazy weekend? Then relive the biggest story of the week by watching the entirety of the PlayStation Meeting. It's like you're actually there! Because the presentation is over an hour long, we're splitting all the videos across three posts. Want to skip to the Metal Gear Solid 4 demo? Go ahead. Want to see Uncharted on the NGP? You can do that too. Or, maybe you just want to take it all in: Part One: Opening & PlayStation Suite Part Two: NGP Presentation Part Three: Developers & Closing [Thanks, Matt!]
PlayStation Meeting 2011, part three: Developers
This last set of videos have third party developers showing off their NGP plans. Sega showcased a direct port of the newest Yakuza game on PS3, while Hideo Kojima from Konami showed off Metal Gear Solid 4. See all the videos here:
PlayStation Meeting 2011, part two: NGP
The PSP2 is finally revealed to the world ... with the codename NGP, or "Next Generation Portable." The first video goes over its basic features, while the second video shows off Uncharted running on the handheld. The third video goes over NGP's unique location-based features. Watch below:
PlayStation Meeting 2011, part one: PlayStation Suite
In this series of videos, Kaz Hirai takes the stage to kick-start the event, going over some of the big trends in the industry today. The second video is dedicated to the first big announcement from the event: PlayStation is coming to Android via the "PlayStation Suite." Watch below:
Sony's official NGP announcement video hits the web
Sure, you followed along with our Tokyo liveblog and breathless posts announcing Sony's Next Generation Portable (codename: NGP, get it?) successor to the PSP. But nothing's quite like viewing a video posted 48-hours after the event to get a true feel for the historic occasion... historic to nerds like us anyway. The power is now in your hands -- use it wisely to watch a thrilling three-part trilogy after the break. More videos at the source link below.
Sony says NGP will be 'affordable,' won't cost $599, WiFi-only version also coming
We had quite the interview with Sony's Jack Tretton, but we certainly didn't corner the market on hot new NGP details -- Eurogamer and Game Informer quizzed the company's Andrew House and Shuhei Yoshida, respectively, and came out with some important tidbits about the quad-core gaming handheld, particularly regarding pricing. Though Tretton seemed to suggest we'll see a price somewhere northward of the Nintendo 3DS's $250, Yoshida was quoted as saying "It's not going to be $599," laughing off the idea that the system would cost as much as the PlayStation 3's infamous appraisal at launch, and House said that Sony "will shoot for an affordable price that's appropriate for the handheld gaming space." While none were willing to cough up a real ballpark estimate, the SCEE president revealed one way that the cost might come down: pushing out a lesser model, a strategy we've seen before. House said that while all devices come with WiFi, "a separate SKU will have 3G," making us wonder which of the handheld's other groundbreaking features might carry a premium. After all, OLED screens don't come cheap. Find the rest of Eurogamer's excellent interview (including a bit about how Sony will prioritize downloadable content over physical media) at our source link.
